Pins & Needles
by AnimeDawn
Summary: Belphegor and Fran were two extremely different people, but against incredible odds their friendship flourished over the years. What will happen when Fran confesses his true feelings to the prince? Will they remain friends, go their separate ways, or become something more...? Oneshot


"Bel-senpai, throwing your knives at me isn't going to change my mind."

The prince's smiled dimmed as his kouhai's monotone droned in his ears again. He had been trying to convince the illusionist to show even the faintest sliver of emotion to no avail. Every time he thought he was getting close to breaking the wall surrounding Fran's hidden emotions, the illusionist would simply turn away and stare blankly out the window.

Bel knew that Fran had emotions; he had glimpsed slight lapses before, when his un-cute kouhai was under extreme pressure or when Bel decided to deliberately hurt himself just to get a response. He would watch as those emerald eyes would shine with anger, frustration, stress... only for a split second, but it was there. So far he was the only one capable of phasing the illusionist's mental masking of emotions, even if it was just for a brief period of time. But today the prince was having no such luck. Fran wouldn't even spare him a bored glance.

"Idiot-senpai, have you finally realized that your attempts to annoy me are futile?" Fran asked in his usual emotionless voice.

Bel refused to give up until he had finally gotten what he wanted. If he wanted Fran to respond with something other than a dull monotone then he was going to do it, because Fran was his Froggy and Froggy always did what he was told.

Bel smiled his wide, cheek-splitting smile and casually moved to sit down on the windowsill, promptly obscuring Fran's view of the outdoors.

"Ushishishi... You know the prince better than that Froggy," Bel said, pulling out one of his many strange knives and playing with the sharp point with his fingertip, "The prince gets what he wants, and what the prince wants is for his Frog to stop being such a bore."

The illusionist looked up at his senpai, his eyes dull and flat. No emotion in his response.

"Your 'frog' isn't in the mood for mindfuckery today moron-senpai."

Bel's expression never changed in the slightest as he pointed the tip of the knife at the base of Fran's throat with an expertly smooth curl of his wrist. The point pricked the skin just enough to cause a tiny rivulet of crimson to roll partway down the illusionist's neck. The prince watched in satisfaction as the drop travelled in a zig-zagged pattern across the boy's light skin, stopping mere inches above his collarbone. A tight frown creased his lips and he tried to lean to one side so he could look past Bel. Normally such an act wouldn't have produced any blood at all since the illusion would have taken the beating for him, leaving the knife bloodless and most likely bent out of shape. This time he couldn't be bothered to even try. Something was wrong, and the warped prince could tell.

"Froggy, something is bothering you," the prince stated, running his thumb along the side of his knife blade, smearing the blood from the weapon onto his finger and licking it slowly clean. While he said this Fran could feel the blonde's eyes on him like a hawk, waiting to pick up on the slightest flicker of detail that would give away anything important.

"What do you care idiot-senpai? Nothing is bothering me," came the monotone reply, accompanied by a deep exhale of breath and the slight flicker of an unreadable emotion in the illusionist's emerald eyes. Bel's smile quickly twisted into a frown. He knew when he was being lied to, and no one lied to the prince and got away with it. He may be warped and quite sick in the head, but he was nobody's fool. In fact it was quite the opposite; he was a genius.

Before Fran could manage to leave the room, the prince had grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall, his feet dangling a few inches off the floor. He looked straight into Bel's face and knew that when he wasn't smiling it usually wasn't good.

"You are really pushing your luck Frog. Hiding things from the prince isn't healthy... you know that."

The illusionist squirmed and struggled a bit, even though he knew that he couldn't break free from his senpai's firm grip. He really wished that some higher power would cut him some slack. It wasn't as if he was asking to be beaten to death at this point. To be completely honest, at that moment he wanted to blurt out everything; to tell his senpai how he was feeling lately, tell him that he was accepting of everything that made him who he was – the good, the bad and even the ugly. Nothing sounded more appealing than to fall into his arms and hug him and tell him the absolute truth hidden deep within.

_I love you, idiot-senpai._

But he knew that Bel wouldn't understand. Someone as murderous and unstable as Bel couldn't possibly understand the meaning of love, and he had to admit it had taken him a very long time to fully comprehend it himself. Fran had never been in love before and he had strongly denied his love for Bel ever since it began tugging at his heart. The illusionist had always assumed it was nothing, maybe just a lack of sleep or a weak moment when he allowed his emotions full reign; when he did that he was never fully sure if what he was feeling was real or just built up from hiding emotions constantly. But after a while it became clear that Fran's feelings for Bel weren't going to go away with time. Without thinking he would start looking at how handsome the prince was. He was always side glancing at him, admiring his golden blonde hair that always provided a perfect curtain over his mysterious eyes. He would fight to control the tremble in his knees when the prince smiled his manic, gleaming smile; and when his senpai laughed... that creepy, sadistic, completely unique laugh that could only belong to Bel, it took every ounce of willpower within him to refrain from smiling and laughing too. Everything about the prince constantly beckoned to him, and Fran wasn't sure how to approach it, how to explain this to the prince that he so dearly loved.

Maybe he never would explain it... if he did say anything, their relationship as comrades and partners would no doubt be ruined. He didn't expect Bel to return his feelings, and once he admitted everything hidden deep in the recesses of his heart there would be no going back. Things would be increasingly awkward and strange, and Fran didn't want that to replace what he and his senpai already had. Sure it was just a friendship, but it had taken the two a long time to become such close friends and Fran didn't want to throw that friendship away just to admit feelings that would ultimately be rejected in the end. It was a fantasy that could never be fulfilled, a one way street... and that thought was always pressing at the back of his mind.

In all honesty, Fran was depressed and there was no way he would ever tell his lovely prince why.

"Bite me, moron-senpai." No emotion. No tone, no anger, just blank monotone again.

Bel was frustrated now, and it was taking every amount of self-control he had to stop himself from brutally beating the answer out of his un-cute kouhai. Fran had never been this guarded before in the whole time they had known each other. They had always shared a mutual feeling of trust ever since they had first met, but the lines seemed somewhat blocked today… if that made any sense.

The prince really wanted to know what was on his Froggy's mind; however the only way he knew how to get information was to beat it out of people. He was never much of an interrogator, but if there was any time he really wished he had that ability right now would be it. He didn't want to beat up his poor Froggy, and he was already pushing things too far by pinning him against the wall, leaving him helpless and devoid of proper blood circulation.

He cursed under his breath at himself, cursing the fact that he could never control his anger as well as he wanted to, as well as Fran could. How could his Froggy find the patience to deal with him day in and day out? Fran did constantly insult him, but he never took it too far. He only said those things out of habit, and the prince understood that he never really meant anything that he said. On the other hand, every time Bel got angry or caught sight of blood, he could never stop himself from drifting into his little world of bloodshed and violence. If Fran tried to stop him, he usually got badly hurt before the prince finally returned to his senses; every single time it had been Bel that had inflicted the wound and every time it happened Bel felt like digging a hole and burying himself alive in it over and over again. Killing things was as natural as breathing for the prince, but when he directed that killing instinct on his kouhai, his Froggy... there was no way to wash away the guilt and shame that flooded over him afterward. Of course he never outwardly showed how he felt – his princely pride wouldn't allow it – but on the inside he often wondered why Fran had stuck it out with him for so long without complaint.

His Froggy... he never got mad at him or tried to hurt him even when it was obvious that the prince was going to assault him anyway. Fran had such patience, such calm reserved behavior... nothing seemed to reach him, and nothing seemed to bother him in the least. When Bel drew blood, Fran shrugged it off. When Bel gripped so hard it bruised the illusionist's pale skin, Fran simply ignored it. He had hurt his Froggy more times than he could count and yet the illusionist still stayed with him, forgave him and, most importantly, did not fear him_._ But how was he supposed to get a real emotional answer to something when the Frog was too stuck in his own ways to stop being emotionless?

Bel sighed and shot his kouhai a troubled look, which the boy either couldn't see or was pretending that he didn't see. He still looked indifferent about the situation he was in. Occasionally he stretched his hands and moved his fingers about.

_He's probably trying to keep his blood circulating..._

As he continued to examine his un-cute kouhai – who was actually starting to look rather cute right at that moment – Bel could feel his heart thumping in his chest harder and faster than usual. He suddenly began noticing the little things that he never really paid much attention to before, like the way Fran swiftly turned away when he knew that the prince was looking directly into his eyes; and how his cheeks were showing the most adorable blush right at that very moment. How could he never have noticed the way his emerald eyes shone, despite the fact that the lights were off? And his lips... pink, soft and oh so kissable...

Bel blinked, stopping his thoughts right there. He startled himself so badly that he dropped Fran and the illusionist landed on his feet with a thud.

_What... what was that about? Why in the world did I think that...?_

Fran saw the shock on his senpai's face and wondered what had happened. He never thought he would ever see Bel looking so startled and, for once, lacking the voice to say anything.

"Senpai...? Hello... senpai~" Fran called, his monotone in perfect pitch.

Bel didn't even flinch when the illusionist waved a hand in front of his face. He was just staring blankly ahead, barely even breathing. Fran was beginning to worry; this had never happened to the prince before. What was wrong?

Fran's expression didn't chance and neither did his monotone, but deep in his eyes a faint glimmer of worry stood out.

"Bel-senpai? Say something... you idiotic, dumb, stupid fake prince."

Bel stood still as stone, his face still holding onto that initial shocked expression. When Fran realized that he wasn't going to respond he did something; something so out of character that it snapped Bel out of his shocked state almost instantly.

"Bel-senpai, speak! Say something to me! SPEAK!" he shouted, shaking the prince by his shoulders half angrily and half worriedly.

Bel shook his head as if he was broken out of some kind of deep trance and stared down at his new source of shock – Fran. He had never seen such vivid emotion plastered on the boy's face, ever. His expression was such a big mixture of worry, annoyance and anger at being ignored that to any stranger it would have just looked like a normal, average teenager letting out his frustrations; but to anyone who knew Fran well, this was just about as shocking as it got. And that wasn't the half of it. Bel looked into his eyes and saw so many raw emotions flickering to the surface that he couldn't even begin to list them all.

Suddenly Bel smiled, each corner of his mouth almost stretching from ear to ear as he realized that he had broken the illusionist's concentration long enough to actually get a heartfelt plea from him. If something like that could reveal that many emotions, maybe he was frazzled enough now to admit his troubles.

"Ushishishi... So the Frog does have emotions after all..." he teased, fondly ruffling the hair of the younger boy.

Fran's eyes widened as he too realized what had just transpired.

_I can't believe he just made me do that! Stupid, stupid, stupid idiotic fake prince!_

Fran tried to go back to his emotionless mask, but his nerves were shot and he found that he just couldn't manage to continue on as if nothing had just happened. So instead he decided to rip a strip off of Bel while he was still hot and angered.

"Bel-senpai, you stupid fake prince! You were just messing with me the whole time!"

Fran wheeled around and pointed an accusing finger towards his senpai, taking one step closer with every word he spat out. Bel didn't know what to do about his kouhai – this had never happened before – so he just backed up a step every time Fran came closer. He still had his Cheshire Cat grin stuck on his face, and unfortunately that didn't help Fran's mood at all.

"You were just messing around; planning to trick me into thinking there was something wrong so that I would react! You stupid, foolish idiot-senpai! How dare you try to fuck around with my emotions like that!"

When he heard that, Bel held up his hands and waved them, not quite sure what exactly he was being accused of.

"Now, now... easy Frog! There was something wrong with you and the prince wanted to figure out what it was. The prince never meant to intentionally freak you out."

However Fran didn't believe him. He continued on his rant until he had pushed his senpai into the wall and shut off any retreats that he could have had.

"You... you just happened to be so bored that you wanted to provoke me for a laugh! Well now you got one! Are you happy now, idiot-senpai? God, and to think I'm in love with you..."

The last part was meant to be more of an afterthought than anything else, but before Fran could hold it back it slipped past his lips. After he said it, he covered his mouth with his hands and turned away from Bel, finding the floor to be a very interesting area to stare at all of a sudden. He didn't even want to see the expression his senpai wore.

_Shit. I let that slip out... shit._

That was all that came to the young illusionist's mind, and he could feel his face flushing with color already. No doubt that Bel was going to either throw up or get pissed off... either one was ample enough punishment, Fran decided. He waited for the prince to say something, anything.

The tension was practically tangible in the room. Bel had been silent for almost ten minutes.

_He probably doesn't know what to say... I guess if I was him, I would be doing the same._

Fran was just about to sum up his courage and turn to face Bel, ready to explain everything before being sent out of his prince's life forever, when the unexpected happened.

He gasped a little as he felt two very familiar, strong arms wrap around his waist. Then his face reddened to a deep crimson as he felt Bel place a single, warm, lingering kiss on the back of his neck. The sensation was unbelievable... he hadn't known that the prince could be so gentle. Before he had time to ask what Bel was doing, the prince was asking questions of his own.

"Do you really mean that Froggy...?" he whispered, his breath gusting softly against Fran's inner ear.

Fran shuddered, not mentally strong enough yet to go back to being monotone and emotionless.

"Mean what...?" he breathed, the millions of new sensations washing over him causing him to forget what he had said before.

"You're in love with the prince?"

Fran simply nodded, letting out a soft moan as Bel tenderly grazed his lips along the slope of his neck, placing kisses everywhere. The prince smiled to himself as he felt Fran place his small, pale hands over top of his. But he was reminded of what he was thinking beforehand and his smile drooped until he looked rather sad.

"Why...?" he whispered, even quieter than before.

Fran had been surprised a lot in the past hour, and he just kept getting surprises dumped on him. Bel had never showed or talked about his real feelings, not to anyone. Not even to Fran, his Froggy. Bel's true feelings were hidden deep down inside, and Fran had always assumed that no one would ever really know what the fake prince was actually thinking or feeling. But now, in this perfect moment, his senpai felt compelled to show even the slightest hint of what was really going on underneath that killing exterior... the thought both excited and scared Fran.

"Why... what do you mean, Bel-senpai?"

The illusionist was confused, and didn't know how to answer the question; he didn't even know what his senpai meant.

Bel could see that Fran was having trouble understanding his vague question, and he definitely wanted to clarify because the question was very important... at least to him it was. So he turned his kouhai around and that simple action showed enough details to change Fran's perception of his prince forever. Never before had he been able to see the prince's eyes because his bangs would forever be covering them; but now he could see them clear as day, since the prince had moved his golden bangs temporarily out of the way. They were... breathtaking. Bel's eyes were a beautiful rich purple, closely akin to amethyst but just barely resembling deep purple velvet. They sparkled with a childish glint, but the illusionist doubted that they stayed that way all the time; they could carry a dangerous tinge to them if the situation was bad. Fran gazed into those gorgeous purple eyes and almost lost himself completely in them, they were so deep. The emotions he could read in the prince's eyes were so overwhelming. He felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes. So much fear, pent up anger, uncertainty, insecurity... and there, stronger than everything else was an emotion that Fran had never expected Bel to openly show or even feel – love.

_There has to be a reason that he's showing me this... there has to be a reason for letting so much vulnerability show through his usual facade._

"The prince's eyes are hidden for a reason... They tell too much about the prince..." Bel muttered, as if in answer to the mental question the illusionist had just asked himself, "If anyone else found out what the prince truly feels... they would find weaknesses, and exploit them until the prince could no longer stop them from defeating him. But... for some reason..."

Bel paused and hesitantly brushed his fingertips across Fran's cheeks, his kouhai's knees buckling slightly at the contact.

"The prince feels like... he can trust you, Froggy."

Fran's face blushed adorably at that. He wasn't expecting any of this in the least, but he was glad it was coming out and he was here to hear it. Bel, seeing his Froggy blushing so cutely, gained a little more confidence and smiled slightly.

"Do you know why the prince is letting you see his eyes?" he inquired, cocking his head to one side.

Fran decided to stay quiet; he wasn't sure how to react just yet, plus he didn't want to ruin the sentimental moment he and his senpai were having.

_When Bel-senpai cocks his head to one side like that, he looks like a cute puppy._

The random thought pushed its way into Fran's mind and he had to agree. Bel-senpai definitely did look like a puppy when he cocked his head to the side. It wasn't as important as what Bel was talking about right now, so he quickly pushed the thought aside to listen.

"The prince wanted to know what Froggy was thinking, but Froggy wouldn't cooperate! The prince was starting to think you didn't care."

As Bel said this, he poked Fran in the chest. It was only a light poke; but Fran immediately felt guilty because of all the implications that it held. He knew now why the prince was being so violent before. It was the only way he knew how to get information out of others.

_He really wanted to know what was wrong, because he cares about me. But I refused to see that... I was so consumed with my own issues that I just completely… I hid everything from him – my emotions, my thoughts, everything. How could I have missed that? Stupid... stupid me._

Bel must have seen the look Fran's eyes held because as soon as his Froggy looked up at him, the prince was already smiling widely. He had gotten through to his kouhai without violence_._ Now _that _was saying something!

Of course, seeing his senpai grinning like mad, Fran felt like a total idiot; but at least Bel knew the truth now.

"You should have told the prince the truth Frog," Bel said quietly, gingerly pressing his forehead against the illusionist's, "Even if the prince didn't return your feelings... You were being worrisome."

Fran realized that now, and he nodded his understanding to Bel, allowing a big smile to grace his lips.

"I understand now senpai. I just... I was..."

Bel nodded sympathetically and reached his hand behind Fran's head, pressing his kouhai's cheek to his broad chest softly. A positively radiant smile rested on the prince's face.

_Froggy has such a dazzling smile._

"It's okay, the prince knows. Just be honest with the prince from now on, okay Frog?"

Fran nodded and wrapped his arms around Bel's neck, placing a loving kiss on his senpai's throat to show just how sorry he was. Bel was surprised at the boldness of his Frog, and before he could stop himself a small moan managed to leave his lips. The soft, supple skin of Fran's lips formed a smile against Bel's skin, and the prince couldn't help but smile and chuckle himself.

"Ushishishi... You are quite the cute one, ne?"

Fran blushed and wanted to complain that he wasn't cute, but he was so full of bliss that he let it pass. Just this once.

"If you say that one more time, idiot-senpai..." the illusionist warned, once again in his monotone.

Bel laughed his crazy, unique laugh and waved off the threat like it was nothing.

"Ushishi... Easy Frog, can't the prince say something nice without being insulted?" he asked, amused.

"Not if I tell you that you can't say it again."

"Awww~ you're no fun Froggy."

"... and you're an idiot, but you don't see me complaining."

"Actually Frog, that's all I see you do. Ushishishi..."


End file.
